MSI Cyborg review: bargain hunters will know this gaming laptop well but are its sacrifices worth it?

No nonsense 1080p gaming on a budget. That's what the MSI Cyborg has built its foundations on for years, and now the RTX 50-Series model looks to double down on that entry-level power with a balanced spec, low price point, and surprisingly sturdy design. Its display is a little behind competition only a rung or so higher up on the pricing ladder, and its soft trackpad is going to annoy the hell out of anyone who needs an everyday workhorse. For the bottom of the price bracket, though, this rig still holds up for casual gameplay.

The best gaming laptops these days will add more than a few multipliers onto this $1,199.99 base price, after all. While there might be better value further up the price scale this is one of the cheapest machines I've tested recently and I still had a blast with my favorite games.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Tabitha Baker

I've been testing gaming laptops at GamesRadar+ for six years, starting in the heady days of the RTX 3050 after finally upgrading my own GTX 1050 HP Omen device. In that time I've tried the cheapest of the cheap - these devices were all I was buying before I started reviewing, after all, but I've also had my hands on the latest and greatest rigs of the last decade.

Current PC setup: Razer Blade 14 (RTX 5070), Asus ROG Ally Z1E

Configurations

As is typical of these cheaper releases, the MSI Cyborg comes in a few of different flavors. In general, though, you're going to be choosing between Intel and AMD's budget processors and Nvidia's bottom-rung GPUs; the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060.

None of these configurations should run you more than $1,500 with 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage and 16GB RAM, but all come with a 15.6-inch 144Hz 1080p display. It's a decent budget-friendly roster of options, with the RTX 5050 offering a sturdy base for DLSS features and the RTX 5060 getting closer to 60fps in more demanding games with a few settings tweaks.

I've been testing an Intel Core 5 210H machine with that entry level RTX 5050 GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. That spec has primarily been pitted against the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 / RTX 5060 Acer Nitro V 16 AI and Intel i7-14650HX / RTX 5060 MSI Katana 15 HX B14W (my current top budget pick, with the same $1,199 starting price) for value-reference in this price bracket.

Performance

The MSI Cyborg is up against some stiff competition from RTX 5060 machines that sit only slightly above it in the price pecking order. Its in-game and 3D Mark synthetic benchmarks place it at the bottom of the pack in this comparison pool, but the numbers themselves show that this is still a capable 1080p machine with the right game on its screen.

An RTX 5050 gaming laptop is never going to out-perform an RTX 5060 model, but that weaker Intel Core 5 210H processor from 2024 isn't going to help matters. In synthetic testing, the system isn't just at the bottom of the graph but it's around 32% slower than the next rig up in Steel Nomad. That's a slightly higher gap than I would expect to see from these two machines.

Steel Nomad is 3D Mark's most recent benchmark tool, designed to replace Fire Strike and Time Spy in its more intensive GPU and CPU tests. The latter tests both stress a system's ability to render particle effects and geometry in demanding 3D scenarios, but Steel Nomad is my primary concern. It's more inline with the current power level of gaming laptops, offering a better view of real-world performance in the face of more demanding programs.

The best way to see how the MSI Cyborg stacks up in gameplay is to run some games, though.

At 1080p, the MSI Cyborg can confidently run Shadow of the Tomb Raider (the lightest, most Nvidia-optimized test in my pool) and Total War: Three Kingdoms (a more challenging run with far more particle effects and big-picture screen demands) while still keeping its head above 60fps in ultra settings. That's nothing to sniff at, especially if you're after a cheaper gaming laptop to satisfy a backlog of older or lighter titles.

In fact, my next hardest run (Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered) still keeps the MSI Cyborg at over 60fps, as long as you steer clear of those highest graphical settings.

Things get a little squeaky in the hardest benchmark in my repertoire, though. Cyberpunk 2077 just about gets off the ground at 33fps in its highest settings. That's workable, provided you tone down some of the game's more power-intensive effects, but I'd expect to see numbers in the low or mid 40s here.

Still, the RTX 5050 was practically made to take advantage of Nvidia's DLSS tech. The good news is that, if you wish, you can switch that frame generation multiplier on for a much smoother picture. In my tests, the MSI Cyborg averaged 112fps with this feature enabled on RT:Ultra settings.

What I love

Decent build quality

I came to the MSI Cyborg expecting a screen that flexed at the slightest breeze and a main chassis that creaked with every nudge. That's not the case here.

While there's some give to that main display, more than you'll find further up the price scale, MSI has done well to keep this thing solid on the hinge. Of course, there's a little wobble when manoeuvring it up and down, but manipulating the screen from each corner reveals a surprisingly taut panel.

That comes with a main chassis that holds its own when lifted from a corner and only displays a little bowing when pushed from the top. At this price I wouldn't expect the CNC-milled designs of something like the Razer Blade 16, but this is still far from the soft, squeaky machines of yore.

Inside it's not quite as luxe as the slimmer Acer Nitro V 16 AI, matching more of the MSI Katana's vibe in look and feel.

Snappy keyboard

I wasn't expecting to be so welcomed onto these keys either. While cheaper gaming laptops often get away with lower quality decks to save cash space for those components, the MSI Cyborg manages to keep its switches snappy and its toppers clean. With a full number pad layout and a nicely spaced arrangement, I found trying on this deck to be more accurate and slightly more pleasant than the majority of budget rigs out there.

There's plenty of bounce to these keys, where I'd normally expect a softer, more mushy feel under the tips. Yes, it's annoying to have to deal with half-sized arrow buttons, but the overall typing and gaming experience is far more energetic than you'll typically see.

Budget price point

Of course, the MSI Cyborg's main draw is its low price. Gaming laptops have upped their rates with the advent of the RTX 50-Series. Where an RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 was easily found under the $1,000 price bracket in days of yore, these new generation machines are generally all four figures. That's not including sales, of course, and the Cyborg sees plenty of discounts.

This is still about as cheap as you'll find gaming laptops in 2026, though, and considering you'll still be running most games just fine in 1080p that's well worth a trophy.

What to consider

Lower quality display

Display resolution is often one of the first sacrifices you'll have to make when opting for an entry level gaming laptop. I'm used to seeing models, like the Acer Nitro V 16 AI, dropping those numbers down to 1200p to save some cash - it makes sense, especially when running an RTX 5050 or RTX 5060 graphics card.

The MSI Cyborg's 15.6-inch screen means you're running a 16:9, 1920 x 1080 resolution here. That's not a marked difference over the FHD+ models elsewhere on the market, but it is worth noting that you only need to move a little further than this $1,200 - $1,500 price range to secure a QHD+ panel. In the case of the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 10 (often found for a similar price as this Cyborg), you'll also find OLED screens making an appearance.

As it stands, the IPS display we've got here feels a little watered down compared even to other non-OLED rigs on the market. We're going right up to the other end of the price scale, but something like the HP Omen Max 16 (in the IPS version I tested) manages to still produce excellent colors and contrast without the boosted panel tech. Here we lose a lot of that definition, brightness, and vividity.

The Katana suffers in a similar way, but not quite to the same degree. Images on the Cyborg's sibling device still keep a little more vibrancy in their colors.

This lower quality display absolutely makes sense for those looking to spend as little as possible, but if there's wiggle room in that budget you don't need to drop too fat a wad extra to get a major boost. It's also worth keeping an eye on sales, especially around that Legion 5 and the Acer Predator Helios Neo S AI.

Soft trackpad

What might make a bigger difference to your everyday experience is that trackpad. Try as I might I could never fully trust this thing. It's hollow, spongey, and incredibly unpleasant to use. Yes, the Cyborg has had to cut some corners to keep its price low, but the Acer Nitro V 16 AI manages to keep a nicely tactile pad for a similar rate. The MSI Katana also uses a slightly better iteration, but swaps that too-deep feel for a too-shallow one that will satisfy tappers and gliders much better.

Should you buy the MSI Cyborg 15?

With the same RTX 5050 starting price as the MSI Katana, the MSI Cyborg doesn't quite do enough to knock its sibling off the top spot where budget rigs are concerned. While its keyboard and 1080p performance work hard in its favor, the Katana manages to punch above its price class in smaller quality of life features like the trackpad, streamlined design, and display quality. That's all with higher-class processor options and an RTX 5070 configuration on the table.

The Cyborg does tend to see a few more discounts than the Katana in every day retail, though. If you're looking for a three-figure steal this is likely where you'll find it. If you've got the tightest of budgets and you've found a price-bracket-breaking discount, it's still going to see you through 1080p adventures with ease.

How I tested the MSI Cyborg 15

I used 3D Mark's suite of GPU benchmarking tools to test the MSI Cyborg in synthetic runs, concentrating on Steel Nomad but with Time Spy and Fire Strike running as well. These three tests work different aspects of a GPU's rendering capabilities (and a CPU's stability) to produce a final score (higher is better) representative of overall performance. I ran each of these tests three times with the MSI Cyborg set to its highest power setting, taking final results as an average.

I also tested the MSI Cyborg 15 in-game across Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Cyberpunk 2077, and Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered. Again, each benchmark was completed three times for an average final score. I ran each benchmark in both High and Highest available settings (RT:Med and RT:Ultra in Cyberpunk) at full 1080p while the Cyborg was in its highest power setting.

Beyond performance testing, I used the MSI Cyborg as my everyday laptop for both work and play over a period of two weeks, running it for one week as a solo device on the desk and another as part of a larger external monitor setup. Outside of dedicated testing, I was also using the machine for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Planet Coaster shenanigans.

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